In the wake of a controversy over President-Elect Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, referring to herself as “Dr.”, the University of British Columbia has changed their policy and will now refer to all their PhDs as “Dr.”.A Wall Street Journal op-ed last week by Joseph Epstein, argued First Lady-Elect Dr. Jill Biden’s doctorate degree in education doesn’t warrant the title Dr. in front. Epstein also lamented what he called a decline in the prestige associated with doctorate degrees..“Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name?” wrote Epstein..The article unleashed a wave of fury across the States and around the world..Former First Lady Hilary Clinton tweeted: “Her name is Dr. Jill Biden. Get used to it.”. Mossleigh pub briefly opens before authorities move in .And in Canada, Dr. Mark Mac Lean, a UBC mathematics professor, note his university doesn’t use Dr. in front of faculty members’ names in its press releases..“For my UBC colleagues who are reacting to the Wall Street Journal article on Dr Bidens use of ‘Dr’ in her public life, I note that UBC’s communications policies strip Dr from faculty members with PhDs in its own media releases,” Mac Lean said. “This has been deemed acceptable by the President.”.UBC’s style guide said the title is only used for those with medical degrees, not doctoral degrees, the same format Canadian Press Style Guide. Most Canadian journalism organizations follow Canadian Press guidelines..But on Thursday, UBC changed its policy..“We use the title Dr. in front of the names of any faculty, staff member or postdoctoral scholar who has been awarded a doctoral degree from the University of British Columbia or other post-secondary institution,” the policy now reads..“The honourific will appear with all mentions of a person’s name in university press releases..“The question of how media and large institutions should recognize academic credentials, rank and titles while ensuring readability for their audiences has sparked dialogue in recent years. Some members of the UBC community have also raised this important question—and we’ve been listening.”.“At UBC Media Relations, we have a great deal of respect for members of our academic community who have demonstrated the ability and perseverance needed to obtain a doctoral degree, the highest level of academic credential.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
In the wake of a controversy over President-Elect Joe Biden’s wife, Jill, referring to herself as “Dr.”, the University of British Columbia has changed their policy and will now refer to all their PhDs as “Dr.”.A Wall Street Journal op-ed last week by Joseph Epstein, argued First Lady-Elect Dr. Jill Biden’s doctorate degree in education doesn’t warrant the title Dr. in front. Epstein also lamented what he called a decline in the prestige associated with doctorate degrees..“Madame First Lady — Mrs. Biden — Jill — kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the ‘Dr.’ before your name?” wrote Epstein..The article unleashed a wave of fury across the States and around the world..Former First Lady Hilary Clinton tweeted: “Her name is Dr. Jill Biden. Get used to it.”. Mossleigh pub briefly opens before authorities move in .And in Canada, Dr. Mark Mac Lean, a UBC mathematics professor, note his university doesn’t use Dr. in front of faculty members’ names in its press releases..“For my UBC colleagues who are reacting to the Wall Street Journal article on Dr Bidens use of ‘Dr’ in her public life, I note that UBC’s communications policies strip Dr from faculty members with PhDs in its own media releases,” Mac Lean said. “This has been deemed acceptable by the President.”.UBC’s style guide said the title is only used for those with medical degrees, not doctoral degrees, the same format Canadian Press Style Guide. Most Canadian journalism organizations follow Canadian Press guidelines..But on Thursday, UBC changed its policy..“We use the title Dr. in front of the names of any faculty, staff member or postdoctoral scholar who has been awarded a doctoral degree from the University of British Columbia or other post-secondary institution,” the policy now reads..“The honourific will appear with all mentions of a person’s name in university press releases..“The question of how media and large institutions should recognize academic credentials, rank and titles while ensuring readability for their audiences has sparked dialogue in recent years. Some members of the UBC community have also raised this important question—and we’ve been listening.”.“At UBC Media Relations, we have a great deal of respect for members of our academic community who have demonstrated the ability and perseverance needed to obtain a doctoral degree, the highest level of academic credential.”.Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
